When You Stop Looking
by K5Rakitan
Summary: They say that you can only find love once you stop looking. Will this be true for Tea? Startleshipping One-shot.


**Author's Note:** Tea got to be a dancer like she always dreamed, but somehow she stayed single until her mid-thirties despite her every effort to win a man's heart. They say that you can only find love when you stop looking. Will Tea?

**Warnings:** brief language, suggestive themes

This is currently an un-edited piece that went straight from my head onto the computer rather than going through my paper notebook first like most of my work. Therefore, please alert me to any grammar mistakes or really bad typos so I can fix them.

**In The Doctor's Office**

Tea staggered into the waiting room of the doctor's office. Shooting pain coursed through her leg, but she pressed on anyway. After all, it was only a sprain, or hopefully just a sprain. Tea did not remember how she got the injury, or at least how it got so bad. She had originally sprained her leg at a ballet audition trying to execute a move that she knew was beyond her ability. The first time she visited the doctor for it, he assured her that she would be dancing again within the month. However, her prospects did not look nearly so promising now.

Yesterday, she had some sort of accident and blacked out from the pain. At least, that is what she decided must have happened. She woke up in her car in the parking lot of the place where Mokuba's girlfriend worked. She felt guilty for trying to spy on Mokuba, so she figured she deserved whatever happened. As the last eligible bachelor among her circle of close friends, Mokuba had been her last hope of finding love. Not only was he rich and handsome, but he was far more well-mannered than his older brother. Tea had known Mokuba for years, and even went on a date with him once, but only once. Promptly afterwards, he announced to all his friends that he had a serious girlfriend, and it wasn't Tea. Tea wanted not to believe it at first, but eventually she had to accept the fact that all of her friends had found happiness except her.

Tea struggled over to the reception desk and checked herself in. The receptionist's eyes flitted over Tea's injury, and noticed that she had additional bruises forming on her arms. Tea was wearing short-sleeved lemon-yellow shirt and jean shorts with flip flops, so nearly everything showed. "Honey, I know it isn't any of my business, but I think you should really consider leaving the bastard."

Tea gave the receptionist a confused look. "What bastard? Oh! No, you got it all wrong! I got these injuries from dancing. I don't even have a boyfriend."

"Exotic dancer?"

Tea was disgusted by the receptionist's implication. "No! Not at all! Look, are you going to check me in or not?"

"All right. Take a seat and wait until they call you," the receptionist replied curtly.

Tea dragged herself over to a chair, using the wall and her one good leg for support. She sat down with a sigh of relief and picked up a magazine that was lying on the table. It was a parenting magazine, filled with faces of cute little kids smiling and blowing bubbles or helping their parents bake cookies. Tea sighed again and set the magazine back down. There was no point dwelling on what she could not have.

Tea pulled out her smart phone and started to browse the internet for ideas she could use to teach her dance class. Since dancing itself was out of the question for at least another month and dancing was all she knew, she wanted to make the best of the situation by teaching. Plus, if she could not have a family of her own, at least she would have the chance to make a difference in the lives of other people's children.

The sound of her name caused her to look up. She expected to see a nurse calling her in to see the doctor, but instead she saw someone who looked vaguely familiar. He was dressed in a leather jacket and tight blue jeans. The rippling muscles in his thighs bulged through the denim, and his muscular neck held up a massive head with a full head of blonde hair. It was his signature American Flag bandanna that gave him away.

"Bandit Keith? I barely recognized you. What are you doing here?" Tea asked.

"Five years ago, one of my buddies was killed in a motorcycle accident. My gang and I all mourned his passing, but we kept on riding as always. About a year ago, I got in a motorcycle accident myself. I never thought it could happen to me, but it did. One day I was just hanging with my buddies, and the next day I was nearly road-kill. Anyway, the doc here was really good to me. He got me back on my feet. Now, I came back to thank him. It was the least I could do." Keith patted the festive cookie tin that he was carrying. "So, what are you in for?"

Tea blushed. She could not help it. Despite all the mean things that Bandit Keith had done to her and her friends in the past, he seemed different now. He had transformed into a responsible, caring man who just happened to have an awesome body and a handsome face. "Well, I had a ballet accident, and I thought I was better for a while, but I tripped or something and then it got worse, so now I'm in for another check-up on it."

Keith eyed her leg and let out a low whistle. "Wow! That looks pretty intense for ballet. I guess it is a more extreme sport than I thought."

Just then, the nurse called for Tea. Tea attempted to rise to her feet, but her leg screamed in agony and she collapsed back into the chair.

"Need some help, babe?" Bandit Keith offered.

Tea's heart raced. Babe? Did a hot guy really just call her babe? Did he really find her that attractive? Tea had not heard that word directed towards her since she turned thirty, and now she could hardly believe her ears. "Um… yes! Yes please, I mean."

Bandit Keith bent down and scooped her up bridal-style into his massive arms. Tea was surprised at how comfortable she felt in Keith's arms. Keith offered more than just helping hands; he gave her protection and safety. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at them as he carried her out of the waiting room and into the doctor's office.

Keith set her down on the examination table and the two of them waited for the doctor to arrive. It did not take long. When the doctor entered the room and saw Tea's condition, an exasperated look crossed his face. "Ms. Gardner! What did I tell you about pushing yourself too hard? Oh, hi Keith. I'm Glad to see you well again. At least one of us knows how to follow doctor's orders."

"I was being really good! Honest, doc! I tripped or something. Not dancing, but in a parking lot," Tea protested.

The doctor took a closer look at the injury. Tea kicked off her flip flop so that he could get a better look. He placed his hands on her foot and slowly worked his way up to her knee, palpating to see if everything was where it should be. "Tell me when it hurts."

The doctor reached her knee and Tea let out a yell of pain. Her hands flailed for something to grab. Her right hand found its way to the pillow on the examination table, and her left hand managed to bump into Keith's hand. She gripped it firmly and squeezed as tears formed in her eyes. A weaker man would have found the pressure of Tea's grip painful, but just chucked as she crushed his fingers. "Just hang in there, babe. You're doing fine."

The doctor finished his examination and gave Tea a serious look. "Keith, could you leave the room for a minute, please. I would like to talk to Ms. Gardner about her condition in private."

"No problem, doc," Keith said as he wiggled his hand out of Tea's grip.

As soon as Keith was gone, the doctor said, "Ms. Gardner, I don't believe that a simple accident could have possibly caused this much damage. Now be honest with me. Did your boyfriend do this to you? If so, I think you should file a report with the police or, at the very least, document your injuries in case you want to file complaints later?"

"But doctor, I don't have a boyfriend."

The doctor glanced at the door where Keith had left. "Tea, I don't care if Keith is your _husband._ He does not have the right to knock you around like this."

Tea blushed like a schoolgirl. "Keith and I aren't… um, anyway, he didn't do this to me."

"Then who did?"

"I have no idea, really. I blacked out and I have no idea what happened. Maybe I fell down some stairs and the pain was just so bad that it erased my memory."

"Did you wake up at the bottom of a staircase?"

"No, I was in my car."

The doctor looked more alarmed than concerned now. He turned behind him to a rack of pamphlets, pulled one out, and handed it to Tea. "Tea, after we treat you, I want you to give these people a call. Tell them exactly what you told me and see if they can help you."

Tea looked at the pamphlet in disbelief and read the title out loud, "'What is Dissociative Identity Disorder?' Doctor, I'm not crazy!"

"I hope you are perfectly fine, too, but you are better safe than sorry. Just one phone call is all I ask."

Tea sighed and nodded reluctantly, then pocketed the pamphlet. "Can Keith come back in now?"

"Yes, I suppose he may as long as you don't mind him knowing what is wrong with your leg."

Tea thought for a moment and said, "I don't mind, actually. He is an old friend and I would like him to be here."

The doctor nodded and opened the door for Keith. "What did I miss," Keith asked as he entered the room."

"I believe that Tea has a torn ligament and maybe even a fractured bone. We will need to do more extensive tests and a few x-rays before we decide on the treatment," the doctor summarized.

Tea looked distressed. "When can I dance again, doc?"

"This time, it might take six months or more before you're back to your old routines."

Tea covered her face with her hands. "No, no, no! I can't go another six months without dancing."

Bandit Keith took pity on Tea. Despite the fact that she hung out with a really lame group of friends, she was cute. "Don't worry, Tea! I've made it through worse than this. If you want, I'll help you out while you get better."

Tea brightened. "You mean it? Oh Keith! Thank you!"

"Don't mention it. For a babe like you, anything," Keith replied.

Tea reached out her arms toward Keith, and he leaned into an awkward, yet friendly embrace with her over the examination table. The doctor coughed. "Well, Ms. Gardner, I believe that the x-ray room is free right now. I'll have a technician escort you there." The doctor hurried out of the room, leaving Tea and Keith alone.

"So Keith," Tea began, "How have you been? I guess we kinda lost touch after our dueling days."

Keith gave Tea a knowing smile. They had never known each other well, but they had known about each other ever since Duelist Kingdom two decades ago. Keith had dueled her friends and even humiliated them on a few occasions, although usually it was the other way around. After all this time, their old rivalries just seemed so silly. "Work is pretty good. I'm a bouncer at one of the bars here in town. You should come sometime. It's a really hip joint with good music."

"I'd love to," Tea almost squeaked as she spoke, "So, um… do you have a family?"

Keith laughed. Ten years ago, the phrase would have been "are you single?" Now, members of the first dueling generation found it necessary to take a more cautious, delicate approach to finding out what they really wanted to know. "No Tea," Keith replied, "I don't even have a girlfriend right now. Most chicks just don't see me as the right type, you know? I'm the guy they use to make their ex-boyfriends jealous. Then, as soon as a good 'family man' comes along, I'm history. What about you? I'm betting you have four or five kids already."

Tea sighed. She knew that Keith's comment was intended to be a compliment, but all it did was remind her of the bitter emptiness in her life. "No, I was so busy playing match-maker for my friends that I forgot to keep one for myself. Actually, I had my eye on Mokuba, but he found someone on his own."

"Well Tea, if you want to join me at the bar sometime when I'm not on duty, we can make a date of it. What do you say?"

"Absolutely!"

Tea swung her legs around so that she could face Keith better. Up until now, he had been standing protectively at her side. Tea sat on the edge of the examination table and gazed into his eyes. Although she was shorter, the height of the table brought them to eye level with each other. She had never realized what beautiful dark blue eyes he hand until now because he always kept them covered with sunglasses when he younger. She was tempted to get out the compact mirror in her purse to see if they matched her own. While pondering the question, she drew closer to him unconsciously. Bandit Keith did the same. Their noses were almost touching when a knock on the door caused them to jerk back in embarrassment.

The door swung open and the x-ray technician appeared. "Tea Gardner, please come with me."

Without asking, Bandit Keith scooped her up as and carried her out the door after the technician. Tea's heart pounded. Was she really about to get lucky with this hunky man? Tea pressed her head against his firmly muscled shoulder and enjoyed the sensation of his body moving beneath her. She wondered if the appendage beneath his clothing was as big and powerful as the rest of him would suggest. She also wondered if her injured leg would prevent her from enjoying it, but maybe they could find other ways around that problem. Tea made a mental note to ask Keith about it after all the tests had been completed.

**Closing Note:** If you want to know the real reason why Tea aggravated her injury and blacked out, read Rakitan Industries and Kaiba Corporation. This is really just a tangent off of that story, and I decided to write this after the first story was completed. Rakitan Industries is actually being rewritten and the chapter numbering will be different from the old one, so…

I owe some credit to my boyfriend for helping me with this story. I got the idea one night when I could not sleep, and it plagued me all night long while I lay awake in his arms going over it in my head and itched to get on the computer. When morning came, I discussed it with him and he had several insights to offer. Although most of them simply did not work because he is not a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan and did not understand the characters, I found some of the things he said useful.

I am also looking for more one-shot ideas. If you like this, my version of the Kaiba family, or my version of the Wheeler family, or my version of the Taylor family, etc. then please let me know what you would like to see them do! If you want another chapter of this… give me five or more reviews and I will consider it.


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